Gatwick submits expansion report

Sir Terry Farrell's impression of what a Gatwick Airport with a second runway might look like (submitted/ by Jason Hawkes).

Gatwick Airport has submitted a 3,200 page report on why it should be chosen for expansion, to the Airports Commission.

The report, submitted today (May 14), has outlined arguments for a second runway at Gatwick being a better choice for expansion, than a third runway at Heathrow.

Arguments have included:

Expansion at Gatwick will provide an additional 260,000 flights by 2050.

An additional runway at Gatwick can be delivered five years earlier than at Heathrow.

It will deliver around £40 billion more to the UK’s economy, than Heathrow’s expansion would.

Ten million more passengers each year will be able to travel with an additional runway at Gatwick, than with a third runway at Heathrow.

A second runway at Gatwick would impact 14,000 people, compared to the 240,000 people impacted by noise from Heathrow.

Expansion at Gatwick would attract businesses and create 120,000 jobs across London and the South East.

Gatwick’s expansion will cost £7.8 billion - less than at Heathrow, where it would cost more than £1bn to put part of the M25 into a tunnel.

Stewart Wingate, CEO at Gatwick, said: “Why would you choose to fly a quarter of a million more planes every year over one of the world’s most densely populated cities when instead you can fly them mostly over fields? Why tunnel part of the busiest motorway in Europe - M25 - causing serious traffic disruption, when you can build on land already set aside for expansion? The choice is an obvious one.”

A spokesperson for West Sussex County Council has said the council supports in principle the expansion of Gatwick and it will meet with Gatwick’s management to discuss residents’ concerns “as soon as possible”.

Brendon Sewill, GACC (Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign) chairman, said: “We will be studying the plans carefully when they’re published but at the moment this looks like a lot of advertising hype matched by similar advertising hype by Heathrow.”

Facts:

Gatwick currently has a noise impact on 3,650 people in 1,600 homes

Heathrow impacts 240,000 people in 100,000 homes

With an expansion Gatwick would have a noise impact on 14,200 people in 5,500 homes by 2050

Gatwick has pledged to compensate those affected with £1,000 per year (index linked)

166 homes would be removed to make way for the second runway at Gatwick